Moscow Confirms Accomplished Test of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Weapon

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's senior general.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official the general informed President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to avoid defensive systems.

Foreign specialists have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been held in 2023, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had moderate achievement since 2016, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

The general said the weapon was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were found to be meeting requirements, based on a national news agency.

"As a result, it displayed high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the media source stated the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank observed the same year, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the country's arsenal arguably hinges not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts wrote.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and an incident leading to a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical cited in the study claims the weapon has a range of between a substantial span, permitting "the projectile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to strike goals in the continental US."

The identical publication also says the missile can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, making it difficult for air defences to engage.

The missile, designated Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be driven by a atomic power source, which is intended to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the sky.

An examination by a news agency the previous year identified a site a considerable distance from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert reported to the service he had detected several deployment sites under construction at the site.

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